Recyclepalooza, an outdoor event, part of month long Sharefest, in Will County, Illinois, promotes “green” practices, ranging from recycling of household material such as old lumber and paint, to safely disposing of hazardous household material, to reusing of items such as old clothing, books and more.

As noted in the September 2015 article, “Junk-Filled Journey” in the Chicago Tribune, a resident couple appreciates how Recyclepalooza offers an expedient way to dispose of trash such as the fencing around their home, which would only be able to be taken one section at a time with regular municipality pickup.

Recyclepalooza’s push for reuse of items pertains to that of our recent Free Market event which allowed for the cordial exchange of perfectly good, reusable, unwanted items between people. Reuse is touted by Marta Keane, a recycling program specialist in the article, as better than recycling because it needs less resources. Reuse increases the time lag from when goods are first purchased to when they end up in a recycling facility, where additional energy is used, generating pollution, or in an already overflowing landfill, where Earth’s space is used up. Reuse is sustainable. Building sustainable communities is a core concept of Treasure Circle.

People can live and thrive on recirculating among themselves, the finite goods that society produces. Reusing material goods to their fullest potential, and then to “repurpose” or find a different use for them, allows our planet to conserve natural resources and for individuals to retain their material and financial wealth. This new age thinking of building more sustainable communities through reuse and repurpose is coined the “Circular Economy”.

ShareFest’s main event also allows exchange of services between individuals, like free haircuts, legal services and a health and safety fair offering free eye exams and dental cleanings for kindergarten through high school students.

TC can also be a channel for exchange of such services and/or favors and not just material goods, which could even include food, between people.

The successful turnout and people’s enthusiasm during our “Free Market” event, as well as the steadily increasing yearly attendees for Recyclepalooza is promising. Introducing “green” ideas and standards to live by is gaining a lot of momentum.